Agni Purana — Agneya-vidya, Shloka 22
Explanation of the Vāsudeva and Related Mantras (वासुदेवादिमन्त्रनिरूपणम्)
ऋग्वेदं व्यापकं हस्ते अङ्गुलीषु यजुर्न्यसेत् तलद्वयेथर्वरूपं शिरोहृच्चरणान्तकः
ṛgvedaṃ vyāpakaṃ haste aṅgulīṣu yajurnyaset taladvayetharvarūpaṃ śirohṛccaraṇāntakaḥ
చేతిలో సర్వవ్యాపక ఋగ్వేదాన్ని న్యాసం చేయాలి; వేళ్లలో యజుర్వేదాన్ని స్థాపించాలి. అనంతరం అథర్వవేదరూపాన్ని శిరస్సు, హృదయం నుండి పాదాంతం వరకు విన్యసించి సమాపన న్యాసం చేయాలి.
Lord Agni (instructing Vasiṣṭha)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Mantra","secondary_vidya":"Tantra","practical_application":"Veda-nyāsa: sacralizing limbs by installing Ṛg, Yajus, and Atharvan as living mantra-bodies to authorize recitation and ritual action.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"List","entry_title":"Veda-nyāsa Mapping: Ṛg in Hands, Yajus in Fingers, Atharvan from Head/Heart to Feet","lookup_keywords":["veda-nyasa","rigveda","yajurveda","atharvaveda","kara-anga"],"quick_summary":"Install Ṛgveda as all-pervading in the hands, Yajurveda upon the fingers, and Atharvaveda as the concluding placement spanning head and heart down to the feet, making the body a Vedic vessel."}
Concept: Vedas as embodied powers (śabda-brahman) installed into limbs; ritual competence arises from internalization, not mere external recitation.
Application: Before pūjā/japa, perform this mapping to steady attention and treat actions of hands/speech as Vedic acts.
Khanda Section: Puja-vidhi / Veda-nyasa (Vedic body-installation and ritual nyasa)
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A ritual practitioner installing Vedas onto the body: hands glowing with Ṛgveda syllables, fingers inscribed with Yajur formulas, and a vertical Atharvan current descending from head and heart to the feet as final sealing.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, figure with palms bearing stylized Ṛgvedic script motifs, fingers marked with Yajur signs, a protective Atharvan band of light running from head-heart to feet, temple lamp-lit ambience, bold traditional colors.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore, gold-embossed palms with sacred script, jeweled fingers with mantra marks, a vertical gold beam from crown through heart to feet for Atharvan, ornate borders, deep red background.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore, didactic layout: hands highlighted for Ṛg, fingers for Yajus, central axis line for Atharvan from head/heart to feet, neat composition, soft tones, clarity of placement.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, scholar-priest seated with open manuscript, luminous calligraphy appearing on palms and fingers, a subtle protective light column down the body, fine detailing and muted elegance."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"instructional","suggested_raga":"Shree","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: ऋग्वेदं = ऋक्-वेदम्; यजुर्न्यसेत् = यजुः + न्यसेत्; तलद्वयेथर्वरूपं = तल-द्वये + अथर्व-रूपम्; शिरोहृच्चरणान्तकः = शिरः-हृत्-चरण-अन्तकः.
Related Themes: Agni Purana 25.20-25.21 (kara/hṛdaya nyāsa sequence); Agni Purana 25.23 (bhūta-śuddhi element placements)
FAQs
It teaches a Veda-nyāsa sequence: installing the Ṛgveda in the hands, the Yajurveda on the fingers, and the Atharvaveda as a head–heart–to–feet body-placement to complete the ritual energization of the practitioner.
Beyond mythology, the Agni Purana preserves practical ritual technology—precise nyāsa mappings and liturgical body-correlation methods—showing it functions as a handbook of worship procedures alongside its many other disciplines.
Nyāsa sacralizes the body as a ritual vessel by internalizing Vedic power; it is traditionally understood to purify the practitioner, stabilize mantra efficacy, and align the limbs and vital centers with sacred sound for successful worship.